7:40 and 8:15AM: Race. The 4th of July starts early with a YMCA Kids Run in the Fort at 7:40 AM. The 5K Run starts at 8:15 in the Fort. You can sign-up in advance at the YMCA or that morning in the Mess Hall. You can register for the race online at www.fthomas.org or that morning prior to the race. Cost is $25 before and $30 day of race. Contact Nick Heiss at nheiss@myy.org or 859-781-1814 for more information.

10:30 AM: Parade. The parade will begin at 10:30 AM at Highlands High School and end at Tower Park where there will be food trucks and lots of fun events and music. To enter a float in the parade, please see www.ftthoms.org/news and find “4th of July Parade Sign-Up”. The application and requested donation of $35 can be mailed or dropped off at the City of Fort Thomas, 130 N Fort Thomas Ave, ATTN: Melisa Kelly. Should you have any questions, please contact Linda Slone at 859-750-9532 or Jim Trauth at 859-992-1884.

We will honor our Grand Marshals with proclamations at the United Methodist Church at 10:00 AM. Please join Dick & Jackie Thompson and Virginia Hosea Francis as we declare them our 150th Sesquicentennial Grand Parade Marshals. We expect over 100 entries to be in our parade and we anticipate a few surprises.

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12:00 PM: Retail/Food Booths Open.Yes, we moved the festivities back like the old days. All festivities will start immediately after the parade in Tower Park.

1:00 PM: Dedication of the Charters of Freedom. Fort Thomas is dedicated in preserving our history. The Charters of Freedom will include our 3 Medal of Honor recipients, the Constitution of the United States, Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. It will be an emotional dedication to our military and our founding fathers.

1:00 PM: Dedication of Veterans Way and a Photo of all Military at Veterans Way.

Calling All Veterans. We want to recruit YOU to be honored in our 4th of July Parade. To sign up, call Sean Donelan at 859-572-1243. The dedication of Veterans Way will take place immediately after the parade and will include a photo of all military and veterans as part of the dedication.

2:30 PM: Calling All BEards and Mustaches. In 1967, a 19 year old won the beard contest for his age category at the Fort Thomas Centennial Celebration. In 2017 that winner, David Hosea, will give the award to the Sesquicentennial beard grower. We want to see lots of beards and mustaches on July 4th at 2:30 PM in Tower Park. Long, short, unique! As for those mustaches, bring your handlebar, chevron, English, Dali, Fu Man-chu, whatever you prefer. Colonel De will present the award for this lucky gentleman.2:00 -7:00 PM: Cross Fit Soto Obstacle Course.Join the Cross Fit Soto TEEN CHALLENGE. Scale the rock climbing wall, crawl under netting, other obstacles, tire flips, Spartan Race, bucket of sand carry, with other obstacles for younger children. Lots of fun!

2:00 PM: North vs. South Tug of War. Let’s have a TUG OF WAR in Tower Park. Sign up for this event through the YMCA by calling Nick Heiss at 859-781-1814. We welcome all individuals or get a team together for this fun event.

2:45 PM: Most Patriotic Bow Tie Contest.What is old is new again. Bow ties have made a comeback just in time for the 150th. Decorate, paint, or make your patriotic bow tie. Bow tie master, Sam Shelton, will judge.

3:00 PM: Hot Dog Eating Contest. This is the 10th year for the Olde Fort Pub’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. So, make sure you sign up to eat all the dogs you think you can to win the first place trophy for the Sesquicentennial.

3:00 PM: Michael Bradford Memorial Cornhole Tournament.3:30 PM: Donut Eating Contest.Top This Donut is challenging donut lover to see who is the TOP in eating donuts. Join them to see who will be the EAT the most donuts the fastest.

5:00 PM: Frozen T-Shirt Contest.Have you ever gotten up in the morning and it is cold in the house? Your shirt makes you feel even colder? WELL….. wait to you try to put on a frozen t-shirt! Hopefully the warm sunshine will help you. Whoever gets their shirt unfrozen and on is the winner. Lots of fun for a hot day. Meet at the Mess Hall.

7:30 PM: Hula Hoop Demonstration.Remember during your childhood when that hard plastic hoop was the national sensation? It was our own exercise program but we just didn’t know it. So, we are bringing back the Hula Hoops. She will show you tricks, help you find your rhythm of the swing and she put on a great show for us! She will even teach the kids how to hula hoop, too!

7:30 PM: Northern Kentucky Symphony.Wait till you hear this band! They have selected a series of patriotic themes pieces just for the 150th. They will play through the fireworks to provide a score for the light show.

10:00 PM: Rozzi Fireworks.Kaboom! Everyone loves Rozzi fireworks shows. It’s a wonderful cap to a full day of celebration.